While the Los Angeles Lakers might have won their season opener against the Clippers, Magic Johnson is preparing himself for a rough season. The Lakers have a starting lineup that brings up many questions along with a bench filled with names that many fans have never heard of. The Los Angeles Dodgers owner says he will forever be a Lakers fan, but he believes that the fanbase is too spoiled to handle a down season.
"Laker fans are spoiled. I don't know how they're going to react now, because this is going to be a tough season," Johnson said, via the "Max and Marcellus Show" on ESPNLA 710 radio. "This is going to be one of the roughest seasons that the Lakers have ever faced. You're waiting on Kobe [Bryant] to see if he can get healthy. Nobody knows if he can be what he was. Then you've got [Pau] Gasol -- who I think is a premier big man -- but he plays better when he has talent around him. "You've got guys who are all on one-year contracts, and all were journeymen on other teams. Laker fans are not used to that."
Johnson is concerned that the Lakers have a bunch of fair-weather fans that will not buy into the rebuilding the Lakers are committing to. As of now, ESPN has Los Angeles out of the playoff race and ranked towards the bottom of the Western Conference. While the team showed signs of promise during their first game of the year, endurance is key to success. Johnson is simply unsure if they can keep up.
"I'm hoping that they at least make the playoffs," Johnson said. "But that's going to be tough, especially without Kobe. We have to see what Kobe we're going to get. Is he going to be that same Kobe or is he going to be hurt a little bit?"
At this point, all signs point towards the Lakers building up for a big run during the 2014 free agency shopping spree. With only two players signed to guaranteed contracts for next year, Los Angeles is expected to pursue some of the bigger names in the league like Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James. Johnson said he would always be willing to help in recruiting pitches for the Lakers, but he is technically is no longer associated with them after selling his ownership stock.
"This summer is going to be a crucial summer for the Lakers," Johnson said. "They have all that cap space. Hopefully [Lakers executive Jim Buss] has a plan. His dad [the late Dr. Jerry Buss] would've had a plan two years ago."
Buss has said publically that the team signed contracts strategically and it is not a coincidence that many of their deals finish at the end of this season. Johnson believes the idea of getting sponsorship and media deals will bring many players to Los Angeles other than New York or Miami. Despite the money in Los Angeles, Johnson said that Dwight Howard simply could not handle the pressure of playing for the Lakers and was not cut out for the city. He is confident other free agents are.
